Prender Conjugation in Spanish

The Spanish verb prender means to turn on, and it is a verb you will use again and again once you know it. Prender means to turn on or to light, and it is used for turning on a light or a television, lighting a fire and switching on a machine. It is the opposite of apagar, and it is fully regular. Like every Spanish verb, prender changes its ending for each person and tense, and this page gives you the complete picture: every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle, all from the verified conjugation tables. For example, in the present tense you say prendo la luz al entrar, and in the preterite you say prendí una vela en la cena. Work through the tables below, read the notes for each tense, and then test yourself with the examples, the common mistakes and the quiz at the end of the page.

Quick facts

  • Infinitive: prender
  • English: to turn on
  • Verb type: regular -er verb
  • Ending: -er
  • Gerund: prendiendo
  • Past participle: prendido
  • Auxiliary verb: haber (all perfect tenses are formed with haber + prendido)

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for prender, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one. Prender is fully regular: prendí, prendía, prenderé. Prender la luz is to turn on the light.

Full conjugation tables

Every form below comes from the verified conjugation tables for prender. The imperfect subjunctive is shown in its -ra forms; the -se forms use the same stem. For reflexive verbs, the pronoun column shows the reflexive pronoun that goes before each form.

Present indicative

Person Form
yo prendo
tú prendes
él/ella/Ud. prende
nosotros/as prendemos
vosotros/as prendéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. prenden

Preterite

Person Form
yo prendí
tú prendiste
él/ella/Ud. prendió
nosotros/as prendimos
vosotros/as prendisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. prendieron

Imperfect

Person Form
yo prendía
tú prendías
él/ella/Ud. prendía
nosotros/as prendíamos
vosotros/as prendíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. prendían

Future

Person Form
yo prenderé
tú prenderás
él/ella/Ud. prenderá
nosotros/as prenderemos
vosotros/as prenderéis
ellos/ellas/Uds. prenderán

Conditional

Person Form
yo prendería
tú prenderías
él/ella/Ud. prendería
nosotros/as prenderíamos
vosotros/as prenderíais
ellos/ellas/Uds. prenderían

Present perfect

Person Form
yo he prendido
tú has prendido
él/ella/Ud. ha prendido
nosotros/as hemos prendido
vosotros/as habéis prendido
ellos/ellas/Uds. han prendido

Pluperfect

Person Form
yo había prendido
tú habías prendido
él/ella/Ud. había prendido
nosotros/as habíamos prendido
vosotros/as habíais prendido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habían prendido

Future perfect

Person Form
yo habré prendido
tú habrás prendido
él/ella/Ud. habrá prendido
nosotros/as habremos prendido
vosotros/as habréis prendido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrán prendido

Conditional perfect

Person Form
yo habría prendido
tú habrías prendido
él/ella/Ud. habría prendido
nosotros/as habríamos prendido
vosotros/as habríais prendido
ellos/ellas/Uds. habrían prendido

Present subjunctive

Person Form
yo prenda
tú prendas
él/ella/Ud. prenda
nosotros/as prendamos
vosotros/as prendáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. prendan

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Person Form
yo prendiera
tú prendieras
él/ella/Ud. prendiera
nosotros/as prendiéramos
vosotros/as prendierais
ellos/ellas/Uds. prendieran

Imperative (affirmative)

Person Form
tú prende
él/ella/Ud. prenda
nosotros/as prendamos
vosotros/as prended
ellos/ellas/Uds. prendan

Imperative (negative)

Person Form
tú prendas
él/ella/Ud. prenda
nosotros/as prendamos
vosotros/as prendáis
ellos/ellas/Uds. prendan

Gerund and past participle

Form Spanish Use
Gerund prendiendo with estar for the progressive: estoy prendiendo
Past participle prendido with haber for the perfect tenses: he prendido

How to use each tense

Present indicative

Use the present for routines, general facts and what is happening right now. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the present looks like this in a real sentence: Prendo la luz al entrar. Learn the present forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Preterite

Use the preterite for finished actions with a clear end, often with ayer, el año pasado or anoche. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the preterite looks like this in a real sentence: Ayer, prendí la televisión por la noche. Learn the preterite forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect

Use the imperfect for background, habits and actions in progress in the past, often with de niño, antes or mientras. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the imperfect looks like this in a real sentence: De niño, prendía una vela en la cena. Learn the imperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future

Use the future for plans, predictions and promises, often with mañana, el año que viene or pronto. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the future looks like this in a real sentence: Mañana, prenderé el fuego con cerillas. Learn the future forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional

Use the conditional for polite requests, hypotheticals and what would happen, often with si clauses. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the conditional looks like this in a real sentence: Prendería la luz al entrar si pudiera. Learn the conditional forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present perfect

Use the present perfect for recent actions and experiences, often with hoy, esta semana or ya. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the present perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Hoy, he prendido la televisión por la noche. Learn the present perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Pluperfect

Use the pluperfect when one past action happened before another past action. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the pluperfect looks like this in a real sentence: Había prendido una vela en la cena antes de salir. Learn the pluperfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Future perfect

Use the future perfect for something that will already be finished by a future time. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the future perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Para mañana, habré prendido el fuego con cerillas. Learn the future perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Conditional perfect

Use the conditional perfect for what would have happened under different conditions. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the conditional perfect looks like this in a real sentence: Habría prendido la luz al entrar con más tiempo. Learn the conditional perfect forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Present subjunctive

Use the present subjunctive after expressions of wish, doubt, emotion and hope, such as espero que or quiero que. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the present subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Espero que él prenda la televisión por la noche. Learn the present subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperfect subjunctive (-ra)

Use the imperfect subjunctive after past wishes and in si clauses about the past, and note the -ra forms shown here; the -se forms use the same stem. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the imperfect subjunctive looks like this in a real sentence: Si él prendiera una vela en la cena, todo cambiaría. Learn the imperfect subjunctive forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (affirmative)

Use the affirmative imperative for direct commands, instructions and invitations. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the affirmative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: ¡Prende el fuego con cerillas! Learn the affirmative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Imperative (negative)

Use the negative imperative, always with no, to tell someone not to do something. For this verb the tense is regular, so the forms follow the standard endings for its verb class. For prender, the negative imperative looks like this in a real sentence: No prendas la luz al entrar. Learn the negative imperative forms in the table above alongside this example, and notice how the ending, not the stem, usually carries the meaning of the tense.

Example sentences

Ten natural sentences with prender, covering different tenses and persons. Each one uses a form from the tables above.

  1. Prendo la luz al entrar. — I turn on the light on coming in.
  2. Prende la televisión por la noche. — He/she turns on the television at night.
  3. Ayer, prendí una vela en la cena. — Yesterday, I turned on a candle at dinner.
  4. Antes, nosotros prendíamos el fuego con cerillas. — Before, we used to turn on the fire with matches.
  5. Mañana, tú prenderás la luz al entrar. — Tomorrow, you will turn on the light on coming in.
  6. Yo prendería la televisión por la noche si tuviera más tiempo. — I would turn on the television at night if I had more time.
  7. Él ha prendido una vela en la cena. — He has turned on a candle at dinner.
  8. Espero que él prenda el fuego con cerillas. — I hope he turns on the fire with matches.
  9. Yo ya había prendido la luz al entrar antes de salir. — I had already turned on the light on coming in before leaving.
  10. Ellos prendían la televisión por la noche cuando eran jóvenes. — They used to turn on the television at night when they were young.

Common mistakes

  1. Wrong: Yo prende la luz al entrar. — Right: Yo prendo la luz al entrar. — The person matters: prende is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is prendo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
  2. Wrong: Ayer yo prendo la televisión por la noche. — Right: Ayer yo prendí la televisión por la noche. — The present and the preterite are different tenses: prendo is happening now, while prendí is a finished action in the past. Use the preterite with ayer.
  3. Wrong: Treating prender and apagar as identical in every context. — Right: Prender means to turn on, while apagar means to turn off. — They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: prender fits sentences such as Prendo la luz al entrar, while apagar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
  4. Wrong: Yo soy prendido la televisión por la noche. — Right: Yo he prendido la televisión por la noche. — Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he prendido, has prendido, ha prendido. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
  5. Wrong: De niño, yo prendí una vela en la cena todos los días. — Right: De niño, yo prendía una vela en la cena todos los días. — For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (prendía), not the preterite. The preterite (prendí) is for one finished action.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on prender. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la luz al entrar. (present tense) A. prendo B. prendes C. prende D. prendemos

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, él ___ la televisión por la noche. (preterite) A. prendí B. prendiste C. prendieron D. prendió

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ___ una vela en la cena. (imperfect) A. prendías B. prendían C. prendíamos D. prendía

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ___ el fuego con cerillas. (future) A. prenderemos B. prenderás C. prenderé D. prenderá

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ___ la luz al entrar si pudiera. (conditional) A. prendería B. prenderías C. prenderían D. prendo

  6. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ___ la televisión por la noche. (present subjunctive) A. prendas B. prendamos C. prendo D. prenda

  7. Complete the sentence: Si yo ___ una vela en la cena, todo cambiaría. (imperfect subjunctive, -ra form) A. prendiéramos B. prendo C. prendiera D. prendieras

  8. Complete the sentence: Nosotros ___ el fuego con cerillas. (present perfect) A. han prendido B. hemos prendido C. he prendido D. has prendido

  9. Complete the command: ¡___ la luz al entrar! (affirmative imperative, tú) A. prende B. prenda C. prendamos D. prended

  10. Which is the gerund of prender, used with estar for the progressive? A. prendido B. prendo C. prendí D. prendiendo

Answer key

  1. prendo — The first-person present of prender is prendo. The other options are the tú, él/ella and nosotros forms.
  2. prendió — The third-person preterite of prender is prendió, the form for a single finished action in the past.
  3. prendíamos — The nosotros imperfect of prender is prendíamos, used here for a repeated past habit.
  4. prenderás — The second-person future of prender is prenderás.
  5. prendería — The first-person conditional of prender is prendería, the form for what would happen.
  6. prenda — After espero que, the subjunctive is required: the third-person present subjunctive of prender is prenda.
  7. prendiera — The first-person imperfect subjunctive (-ra) of prender is prendiera.
  8. hemos prendido — The nosotros present perfect of prender is hemos prendido: hemos + prendido.
  9. prende — The affirmative tú imperative of prender is prende.
  10. prendiendo — The gerund of prender is prendiendo: estoy prendiendo. The participle prendido is used with haber instead.

Frequently asked questions

What does prender mean in English?

Prender means to turn on. It is used in everyday situations such as Prendo la luz al entrar. The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

Is prender regular or irregular?

Prender is a fully regular -er verb, so every tense follows the standard endings for its class. Once you know the regular pattern, you can produce every form on this page, including prendo in the present and prendí in the preterite.

What is the difference between prender and apagar?

Prender means to turn on, while apagar means to turn off. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use prender when you mean to turn on, as in Prendo la luz al entrar, and use apagar for to turn off. When in doubt, check the object of the sentence — it usually shows which verb fits.

How do I say “I turn on” in the past?

It depends on the kind of past. For one finished action, use the preterite: yo prendí la televisión por la noche. For a repeated habit or background in the past, use the imperfect: yo prendía una vela en la cena. For something that has just happened, use the present perfect: yo he prendido la televisión por la noche.

How do I practise prender?

Start with the present tense table, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the prender examples and quiz page for more sentences, and use the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure.

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